Love Me Love You
by InsanelySane
Summary: The curse is broken. Kyou and Tohru has been together for 5 years now and has been roommmates. Until Kyou meets a persistent and ravishing female, can he resist all temptations?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

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If you would like to find out how the curse is broken and how Kyou and Tohru got together... read The Day After She Returned!

Yep! It's out! =.= Actually I had this in my document file for about 2? 3 weeks ago? But I wanted it to be longer... but oh well, =PpP I just went heck with it, just post it already.

Enjoy!

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Tohru looked at Kyou and smiled while he inched forward to hug her. They close in on an embrace. It's been 5 years since the curse had been broken. And 5 years being together. Wordlessly, they pulled away from each other as Tohru straightened up his tie. As she finished, she leaned closer to give him a peck on his cheek before seeing him to the door, "Take care!" She said as they parted while Kyou makes his way to work.

Tohru smiled helplessly and closed the door. 3 years ago, they moved in together as roommates. Soon after, the phone rings. "Hello? Honda Tohru speaking," Tohru picked up the phone.

"Tohru-kun!!!" She heard a familiar voice over the phone, "…Uo-chan?" Tohru said in surprise. "Kya! How have you been doing? I've been looking all over for you ever since graduation! I went over to the Souma's Main house and they said you moved in with Kyou, hehe, heard you 2 have something going on as well! That's great!" Uo rattled on. Tohru laughed, "Hai! Me and Kyou are going out together for 5 years already,"

"NANI?! 5 years! Uso! Has he proposed yet?" Uo asked.

Tohru blushed, "No, he hasn't but it's too early to be talking about that… after all, Kyou has to focus on his career,"

"NO! It's not too early! Tohru-kun is already 25 years old! How long are you going to wait before he finally propose!!" Uo said, then, without letting Tohru continue, she said, "Oh! Me and Saki moved in together 4 years ago,"

"Really?! That's great!"

"Saki says she wants to talk to you, hang on!" Uo said. It was so great to catch up with old time friends.

"Tohru-kun…" The eerie and cold voice rang, but somehow, it rang a warm resonance when Saki said her name. "Saki-chan…" Tohru said as her heart filled up with bitter nostalgic emotions. There was a bit of a silence when Uo snatched the phone, "Ah! Don't mind Saki, she's crying because she hasn't heard you for so long…"

"Ah! Sumimasen!" Tohru said.

"Iie Tohru-kun, we're just mighty' glad to hear from you…So what have you been doing in your life? Any job?"

"I was a senior executive once in a small company, then I dropped it because I had to manage the household when I moved in with Kyou, I got back the part-time job at Momiji's father's company however…" Tohru said. "You?"

"Me? Aha! Tohru-kun! Have you bought Women's magazine of late? Or reading any magazines lately?"

"Ah? No, why?"

"I'm a model now, Tohru-kun! Some agent saw me and said I could join if I was interested, yeah, call me lucky, hehe… Saki-chan has been working as a nurse in a hospital,"

"Oh my god!!! That's so great, Uo-chan, Saki-chan!!!" Tohru exclaimed. "Hey look, why don't we arrange a time to meet and crash at your place, that'd be fine?" Uo asked.

"Yeah sure! I'll give you the adder—"

"Nah, s'ok, I have the address right here!" Uo said, "So, I'll call again to make plans okay? Look, Saki and I have to go to work now, Tohru-kun, you take care now, ok? If Kyou bullies you, don't be afraid to call me, I will trash the hell outta him until he cries for his mom, haha," Tohru and Uo laughed. "Ok, bye!"

_Click_


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm late I'm late I'm late!!!! _Kyou rushed out. If he had not leave the house with reluctance, as usual because of Tohru, _he can't resist her_, he would have made it to work on time at least 4 days in a row now. He picked up his pace and walked faster until he was about to go around the corner.

_Bam!_

"I'm so sorry!" Kyou said and picked up all the pieces of paper which had fell from the lady's arms. The lady smiled helplessly, "Ah, no, it's my fault! I was not paying attention to the road in front of me!" Kyou looked up at her and was captivated by her beauty.

She had red hair and green luscious almond-shaped eyes. Her smile was really the one which brought out her beauty. _Wow_. Kyou thought but he thought nothing of it, for Tohru was the only one he loves. She looked up at him and smiled again, "I'm so so sorry! I should have been more careful!"

"It's okay, really," Kyou said, he hesitated and spoke, "It's actually my fault, I'm sorry,"

"No! It's my fault! I'm really sorry!"

"Er no, It was –"

"Oh my _god!_ I'm late for work!" She exclaimed while gathering the pieces of paper and putting them close to her fully-blossomed chest. "I'm really sorry, look, I'll make it up to you someday, give me your number… yes, thank you, I'll buy you lunch someday to make it up to you, I'm so sorry about just now… see? Now I've made the both of us late for work… My boss is _so_ going to kill me,"

"Uh…it doesn't matter… and actually, you don't have to—"

"Right, so I'll see you around, I'm in a hurry!" She said, "My name's Kazemura Chika by the way, and yours?"

"Uh, Kyou… look, I just want to say that you don't—"

"Eeks! Look at the time!!!!" Chika said and rushed off.

"… have to treat me to lunch…" Kyou continued on but by the time he did, she was gone like the wind. She had ran around the corner and dashed across the road. At first, Kyou wanted to give chase to tell her what he wanted to tell her, but he shrugged. He could always refuse the offer. He looked at the time and gawked.

_He is so late_.

＊

Tohru thought about the past 5 years she had been together with Kyou. It had been very blissful, though they may have their fights, Kyou would normally end up apologizing in a rather sweet way. Like the other time, they were having a huge fight because Tohru asked a salesman to come in and have tea and Kyou was mad at her and shouted at her for being so naïve and gullible. He left in a hurry, leaving Tohru in a devastated state, but he returned an hour later with a piece of cheesecake that said 'I'm Sorry!' He placed it on a table silently and shyly and walked into his room blushing.

She smiled at the memory of it and sank back into her chair with a lemon tea in her hand. She sipped at it. It was all the little bits that made a lot of difference however… like the one when he helped out in her household cleaning… and the kisses planted on her forehead whenever she's feeling down… and the stolen kisses during bedtime when he kisses her on the forehead every night when he thought she had fallen asleep. And the times where they cuddled in front of the television with mugs of hot chocolate in their hand, a blanket draped over the two of them during winter and Tohru would rest her head on his… and stay there the whole day long. Kyou never stay mad at her for too long.

But lately, all these affectionate acts had been cut down to nil. There were none of these ever since Kyou's Shishou had died because of a car accident and he had taken over the dojo 2 years ago. Thinking about it stings Tohru's eyes, she remembered it as if it were yesterday.

The sky was the brightest blue and the sun was scorching and it was such a great day to go out hiking. But the atmosphere in the Main House were thick and heavy. They were all at his funeral. Kazuma had, reportedly, been hit by a drunk driver while he was off to buy some groceries. Kyou was looking down all the while, gripping hard on the chair's edge, _trying to keep in control_. She realized that whenever he's feeling down, he either punched at something really hard consecutively, or he would grip on something hard for a long, long time. When Tohru inched in to give him the comfort of her touch, she could feel his arm tensed. It did not relax and Tohru merely gave him a comforting squeeze and looked away, hiding the tears streaming down from her face.

Everybody was silent and formal, their hearts heavy with sorrow and reluctance to have Kazuma leave their lives like that. Even Momiji and Ayame, who had attended the funeral, was solemn. When Kyou went up to give a speech, he controlled himself for as long as he could before his voice broke and he could say nothing more. "Kazuma, had been a great, amazing person to me. He was special. When no one else was there, he was. I remember there was this one time… where I got into trouble in school… and someone mistaken Shishou as my father… and I, in defense, not to give him a bad reputation had yelled that he was not my father… A few years later, I learned that he had been there the whole time and was deeply hurt by my words…but I felt that he was just like a father to me… and…it was… strange…" He paused for a while, Tohru remembered. "I never gotten around to tell him that…" It was then that Kyou had broke and ran off with tears rolling down his face.

Now, Kyou is in charge of the Dojo that Kazuma had once ran and ever since Kazuma's death, Kyou had been less generous of his hugs and cuddles and kisses anymore. Sometimes, Tohru wished for the old days to be back again, but she knew that this was part of life. She love Kyou and she would accept this part of him even if it pains her to see him still mourning over Kazuma. She would do her very best to help him move on.

So many things had happened in the past 5 years… Take for example, Momiji… he became Momo's 'god-brother' even though he really is Momo's real brother. One time, Momo asked him whether he could be her god-brother, because he looked so much like mom and he smiled and accepted it. But one thing has not changed though, it was that his father still forbid Momiji to see his mother.

Ayame and Mine got together as well, Tohru smiled at the thought, it was very likely of them to get together. Besides, Mine was the one woman who could actually stand Ayame, not that Tohru had any problem with Ayame, but Mine had been there to support and care for Ayame.

Shigure was still as single as ever. One time, Tohru asked when he was going to find his Mrs. Right and he shrugged and waved at her, saying that a bachelor's life is what he will always lead because he did not like the feeling of being tied down of the commitments a relationship demands. It was the same as Hatori, as even though he still loves Kane, he knew he could never be the third party of a marriage. Much less, look like a bastard who goes after married women. But he has found someone of whom he shares interests with, and it is his new understudy. If all goes well, who knows what the future might bring for the both of them?

Yuki was no longer afraid of Akito. Instead, the both of them became rather good friends, in fact, a little _too_ good sometimes…

Haru and Kisa became sworn brother and sister. Kisa and Hiro are still together however, which was so incredibly amazing considering their young age and their maturity to commit.

Tohru sipped her lemon tea. _How she love the Souma family so much…_ Thinking back on what Uo had said, what would be really nice would be to have Souma as her very last name.

_Souma Tohru…_

_Wouldn't that sound really nice? _


	3. Chapter 3

Kyou entered the Dojo and nodded at the dilligent students who have come for lessons. He bit his lip. It was only the 3rd time that he had showed affection towards Tohru ever since he took over the dojo. He sighed as he walked into what would be Kazuma's bedroom if he would to be alive. The dojo house had a kitchen, a bathroom… everything a normal house would have because martial arts was Kazuma's passion. That's why he had extended his tiny house into a big landed property, the capital given from the Main House. Kazuma once said that this way, he would not be such a hassle to travel back and forth in the dojo's house.

Kyou looked around the empty room, the bitter nostalgic feeling pricking at his heart as memories of him and Kazuma started playing at the back of his head, _like an old movie_. "Shishou?" A male, young voice rang behind him. He wiped his tears away and turned around to see a bright and handsome 6-year-old boy at the door. The boy had big bright and brown eyes and 2 dimples could be seen on his cheeks whenever he smiled. He had dark grayish blue hair color which reminded Kyou, so terribly much of Kazuma. Kyou smiled at the boy and lifted him high in the air, just like how Kazuma would whenever he saw Kyou.

"Ready to do some Kung-Fu?" Kyou asked the boy. The boy nodded pleasantly and Kyou put him down and looked away sorrowfully. "Shishou…?" The boy asked, Kyou looked at him and raised his eyebrows in question. "Are you living with that girl who gave us cookies last week?"

Kyou smiled and nodded. "Are you two married? … Won't you have babies?" A naïve question, yes, Kyou had to give him credit for that, but he merely smiled and said no. "Aye…" An older teen came into the room, leaning against the door with his arms crossed. He was at Kyou's chest and had eyes the deepest tint of purple. It was not until last year that Kyou had discovered that those eyes were natural borne; His mother had a pair of deep purple eyes too. His hair was ruffled and unkempt but somehow, it managed to look reasonably charming. If Kyou were to brand him a smile, he would have been The Smirk because that was what he was doing right now, smirking at Kyou's inability to commit.

"5 years, Shishou… don't you think you are being too cruel to Tohru-kun?" The older teen somehow, had a close bond with Tohru, the minute the both of them met, they were smiling and laughing like they knew each other for very long. Not surprising really, considering Tohru seems to have a close bond with practically _everybody_ she meets.

"You can't expect her to wait for 5 years and not get anything out of it, you know… I mean, she's not getting any younger… and you're not doing any better at committing, why bother keeping her when she have so many other men who would love to be her husband?" _Did I even mention he is very mature for his tender age and that he is being such a prick by saying things which are so disgustingly true?_

Kyou sighed and ran a hand through his orange hair, "Look, I know what I have to do, okay? I'm 25 and I know better than a 16 year old, now don't you two have lessons?! Go go!"

The older teen rolled his eyes, "Whatever, but you're doing injustice to Tohru considering a woman's youth is very important to any woman and you're not doing any good by shutting up and leading her on when she's not going to get married anyway, walk away if you're not going to marry her for goodness sake, I'm sure my brother would gladly take the opportunity to comfort her。。。" He smirked and walked away while the little boy stayed there for a while, even though he did not understand words like commit and stuff, he looked crossly at Kyou, pouted his lips and stomped off.

Kyou turned and looked away, gritting his teeth in anger. Angry at how the truth seemed to prick his ears and heart.

_Kids nowadays…_

[After Word]

Goodness me!! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! You guys are all really good writers as well!! Thank you so much for all the encouraging reviews, it's because of them that I know that there are people reading it and it's my drive to update! Big bear hug to those who read! 谢谢！《- That means Thank you in Chinese!

For me, I terribly enjoyed writing the part where that teen practically lunged at Kyou because of he just can't commit! Heehee… well, I hope you enjoy the chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Kyou reached home late at night and found a sleeping Tohru on the couch. He smiled helplessly and decided to let her sleep for a little while longer. Taking off his shoes, he went to the kitchen to get something to eat and sure enough, there was a covered plate in the refridgerator. He took the plate out and heated it up, his stomach grumbling with hunger. He ate the food heartily, praising Tohru silently for her expert culinary skills and as soon as he was done, he washed up and decided to take a bath.

He sank into the bathtub full of soap and water, his heart suddenly heavy with thoughts and feelings.

_Had I really been too cruel to her…? _He thought and bit his lip. He closed his eyes and relaxed for a while, before he got out and dried himself up. Exiting the bathroom, he happened to glance upon a photo frame by the counter that led to the kitchen. He picked it up and looked at it. It was a very happy and blissful picture of Kyou embracing Tohru from behind, his arms surrounding her waist and she was laughing. It was taken before Kazuma's death.

Kyou had actually visited Kazuma on that very actual day that he had died. He could still remember Kazuma's words before Kyou left the house to go home on that day.

_"Kyou," Kazuma spoke the way any father would to a son, soft and gentle. Kyou turned around and raised his eyebrows in question. Kazuma smiled softly at him, "Tohru is a good girl, don't make her wait any longer," He said as if saying his very last words to Kyou that day, as if he knew that his time was here. Kyou blinked and nodded, merely dismissing what he said as an old man's words and he left. By night, he had received a phone call from the Main House; From Hatori, because it seemed that he was the only one who was calm enough to tell Kyou about the bad news._

_At that time, Tohru was out doing her part-time job so it was only Kyou at home._

_"Kyou…" Hatori had said and Kyou could hear him inhale deeply. He could only imagine the worst but he had not expected that Kazuma had died.** And to think Kyou had just came out from Kazuma's house on that day**. "Kazuma he…" Hatori trailed off. _

_"He… passed away this afternoon," Hatori said meekly. Kyou's heart began to beat faster as his adrenaline pumped in his veins. He laughed shakily, "No… I just visited him today, how could he be dead? You guys must be pulling my leg!" _

_Then again, Hatori wasn't well known in playing jokes on other people. _

_ Kyou stopped short as his heart began to beat so loudly that he could hear the constant, rhythmic thuds of his heart. It was only then that Kyou had realized he was holding his breath because he exhaled deeply and took in little gasps of air, trying to be calm. He closed his eyes for a few seconds tightly, wishing that Hatori would say something like, "I was just kidding you, ha," or that it was just a dream and he was just about to wake up with Tohru worriedly by his side. _

_"Hello?" Hatori asked. _

**_God, no… anything but this, please… _**_._

_ Kyou felt something lodge at the back of his throat and he could not bring himself to say anything. He tried to swallow it back down, but it reached to his eyes and began to sting his eyes. He took several big gulps down but it would not go away. "Uso…(lies)… they're all lies…" Kyou's voice spoke shakily as the tears began to flow. _

_Hatori remained silent and Kyou could only hear Hatori breathing. "… I know that this is… a very difficult time for you, we all are feeling the same way—"_

_"How the hell would **you** know?!" He yelled angrily. Hatori fell silent again, "I know because I had something worse happened to me," Kyou knew he was talking about Kane. "But you cannot give up hope now…You still have Tohru and the rest of us here," Kyou did not reply. **He only wanted to see Kazuma smiling back at him. He only wanted to tell Kazuma that he was his father. Always have and always will be. But he was gone.**_

_"His wake would be on next Friday… if… if you're well enough to come, please do… and we would like for you to give a speech…" Hatori said. Kyou merely managed a grunt. _

**_Click_****.**

_Doo-Doo-Doo… the tone of the receiver went. He put the receiver down and leaned against the wall, slowing sliding down as his legs became numb. Tohru came back and looked at Kyou, "…Kyou…?" She asked and bent down, touching his face. He held her hand and pulled her in. "…" Tohru fell silent as he hugged her tightly and began to sob. _

**Tohru's a good girl…don't make her wait any longer**.

Suddenly, the phone rang and because he did not want to wake Tohru up, he quickly picked up the phone and answered it, "Hello?"

"Is this Souma Kyou's residence?"

"Uh yeah, and you are…?"

"Chika! You know… that day we bumped into each other?"

"Oh," Kyou said.

"Well, I said I'd make it up to you and I found a day where I'll be free, how about next Thursday?"

"Um…" Kyou said and looked over at Tohru, hesitating. _Perhaps he need some time to think this over and Chika could most probably help him settle his problems… _

"Sure, what time and where to meet?" Kyou asked.

"Hmm… How about lunch at the shopping centre near Kaze Street?"

"Break One, you mean?"

"Yeah! Break One, that's the name of the shopping centre… I was trying to recall what the name was just now. Oh! And there's this one cafeteria that serves REALLY good cheesecake, that is… if you're interested in it? It's called Ruckers," Chika asked.

She just hit the jackpot. Kyou _loves_ cheesecakes, especially the ones made by Tohru. Trying not to sound too interested, he agreed and the both of them agreed at 11 in the morning. He checked his schedule and made sure he cancelled any lessons in the dojo and postponed them to a Saturday.

Looking at Tohru, he managed a smile. _Don't worry, it'll all be alright soon_. He said silently in his heart, picking her up and putting her down on her bed. Covering her with a bedsheet, he looked at her and kissed her on the forehead before he went to the other side of the bed and slept beside her, facing away from her.

Silently, Kyou recalled memories of Kazuma and him together, like father and son. And he began thinking about Tohru and him, how they were so happy together. He smiled at them. He thought of Chika and hoped she would be able to help out in his problems, hoping she could help him commit in this relationship and move on with Kazuma's death.

On the other side of the bed, Tohru opened her eyes and smiled pleasantly. _Perhaps the good old times would come back again_… she thought as she smiled at the thought of Kyou kissing her on the forehead just now.

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Hope you like the chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kyou looked around the cafeteria and spotted the only redhead there. It was easy to spot her. He looked at her up and down and realized she was even more beautiful than he thought. Her skin was smooth and fair and her red hair fell to her shoulders, it had a bright hue under the light, which indicated that the hair was smooth and silky. Kyou resisted the urge to touch it as he sat down. Her eyes were the deepest turquoise, not green, Kyou made a mental note and her smile was mysterious yet sincere.

"Hi!" She said. Kyou nodded, stunned by her beauty. "You _have_ to try the cheesecake here," she began and called for the waiter. She ordered 2 plates of cheesecakes and as soon as the waiter turned his back to walk to the counter, she turned to Kyou and smiled. "So, what do you work as?" She started. Kyou avoided eye contact, "Uh… well, I have a dojo…"

"Ah, that's interesting! Wow, I never thought I would get to know a martial arts teacher!"

Kyou blushed slightly and fell silent. He had no problem talking to her for they had a lot to talk about, as if they were old time friends just getting in touch with each other. Kyou was even open enough to talk about his problems with Tohru and getting over Kazuma's death.

"… do you feel _attached_ to her or are you really in love with her?" Chika asked. Kyou shook his head and shrugged, "I… I don't know, aren't they the same?"

Chika shook her finger, "being attached is like you're obligated to keep her with you even though you no longer have feelings for her anymore. It's like you're just too used to her presence around you to let her go. Being in love is… you know, you feel something for her and that's why you want to be there for her…"

"Wow, I didn't know it was that complicated,"

Chika smiled seductively, "You guys just never understand love the way we women do," she nodded at the waiter in acknowledgement as the waiter came to clean the tables. Chika was right, the cheesecake _is_ good, Kyou thought in agreement. The both of them fell silent as a song aired out around the cafeteria.

"Oh my _god!_ I love this song! It's from that Koda Miyaki and her songs are really really good, I was the first to buy her album. Koda Miyaki's voice is very powerful,"

"Wow, I didn't know there are people who love Koda Miyaki," Kyou said, impressed by her unique taste for music. He, himself, loved the singer.

"Why, what's wrong with her?"

"Well… let's just say not many people fancy her songs,"

"Then we must be the first!" Chika laughed, "You and I have so many things in common!"

Kyou nodded and smiled slightly. Chika looked at her watch and widened her eyes in surprise, "WOW! I can't believe we've been chatting for so long!" Kyou looked at his watch too, it read 5 in the afternoon. He chuckled and the both of them regarded each other.

Chika smiled.

_The first time I laid my eyes on him, I was, as cliché as it sounds, set on fire. He looked exactly like my first love. Sure, it was a long time ago and I never believed in fate and destinies but when I saw him, I knew it had to be him. Even his name was the same. I was only 8 years old then when I saw him. He was at a playground and always with a dark brunette. The brunette looked older than him and she always called him Kyou. The both of them were always together, and when I felt something bitter in my heart, I knew that he had struck something very deep and hard in me. _

_To me, he was the ultimate catch. I don't have to admit it, but I know that I am a very attractive woman. In high school, I was the more popular and most wanted girl. Wherever I go, heads will turn and I was made the prom princess. When I went to college, many men had wanted me to be their girlfriend. But I refused all. I could have every man's attention in the whole wide world, but I only wanted one._

_Souma Kyou._

Chika looked over at Kyou who is calling the waiter for a glass of lemon tea. At age 25, Chika still felt like a high school girl sneaking some glances on the man she love. She observed him carefully. The soft, orange hair… his orange-red eyes full of passion and dedication… his shy smile… that prominent jaw line… those hands coarse and tough… the way they moved… the broad shoulders… Chika could never get sick of watching him. _The way he looked so serious when he was sipping the tea._

_Now that I found him, his heart had already belonged to someone else. Someone by the name of Honda Tohru… But I don't have to worry about that,_ Chika smiled again. Oh n_o, I don't… his heart is wavering and I can use this opportunity to get the man I want. I have been dreaming of the day I meet him...I won't let him slip away from my fingertips right now. Not here. Not now. Not when he's right in front of me. Honda Tohru… I relish a great challenge, let's just see who will win in this game of love. _

"Oh, it's getting late," Kyou called the waiter for the bill. "I better go," He footed the bill and prepared to stand up. "Wait!" Chika held onto his arm, anxious and urgent for him not to go. "Can you send me home? I sent my car for servicing and I… I have to rush home to get some paperwork done," Chika said, telling a little white lie, "I didn't realize how much time has passed… if… if I don't get the paperwork done, I'll probably get into trouble again with my boss…"

Kyou looked at his watch and hesitated, before nodding, "Sure, come on, my car's parked in the carpark," Chika nodded and smiled, "Thank you so much!"

While they made their way to the carpark, Chika made jokes on the way and the both of them laughed. She looked at him and smiled softly.

_I will make you love me. That I will._

__

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I love writing Chika... i mean, she's sweet yet sinister... hrm. =PpP You just got to love her... I mean, she's doing it out of love, isn't she?

Well, hope you enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6i

Author's Note:

Oof! I am so sorry for not updating the way I should about a few days ago, but I was really caught up with work in school. What with the tests and the loads of assignments that I had to do – you do notice that I live in a country where they like to stress the hell out of their students. So there… Gomenasai!

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Chapter 6(i)

Chika and Kyou walked up to the black Honda car. Chika looked at Kyou while the sound of keys unlocked the car doors, "Get in," He said and the both of them did and closed the doors at the very same time. Hesitating, he looked at his cell phone and dialed for Tohru. Chika pretended to look unconcerned as she looked out of the window, whilst perking up her ears to listen to what Kyou had to say to her rival in love. He remained silent but the answering machine came on. With a heavy heart, he hung up and looked over at Chika. "She's not at home," He said. Chika sat up, "Do you think she might have gone to a friend's house?"

Kyou thought for a while, "Impossible… she never leaves the house without calling me first," Kyou frowned. Chika kept quiet, letting his thoughts go wild for a minute, "Ah… well, shall we get going?"

"Oh yes, where do you live?"

Chika gave him her address and he nodded while he started the car. While on the way, they chatted a lot and laughed a lot. When Kyou stopped outside her apartment block, Kyou wind down the window while Chika looked in and smiled, "Thanks Kyou, I had a great time with you, I hope we meet up some other time again, take care now, I hope everything works out best for the both of you," Chika winked at him and waved. He waved at her back and started the car as he made a U-turn. Clutching his chest with his free hand, he tried to breathe properly. He hadn't realized that his heart was thumping very quickly and no matter how hard he tried, his heart could not stop.

_Had he started taking an interest in Chika?_

It was not a surprise though, she was beautiful and smart. She worked as a senior executive in a large corporate business company. She was attractive and had a very amazing smile. Both of them had a lot of common interests between each other. I mean… What the hell?

_Had he really… fallen for her?_

Kyou pressed the brakes really hard and parked in the garage. He sat there for quite some time, recalling what had happened in the day. How could he have fallen for her in just a day? He must be thinking too much. He got out of the car and made a mental note not to see Chika again, before he starts losing his mind.

"Tohru?" He opened the door with anticipation, hoping she is still at home. There she was, very deep in sleep while her head rests on her arms, she was bent over the table. _That's no wonder she didn't pick up the phone just now..._And all over the table, as Kyou had seen with a pang of guilt in his gut, were plates of his favourite food, all garnished beautifully. Kyou looked over at Tohru sleeping soundfully and smiled softly. He brushed a strand of hair aside from her face, a strong sense of guilt washing over him.

He could tell she had spent the whole afternoon shopping for the best and freshest ingredients. He could imagine her smiling at the food while she shopped. He could imagine her in the kitchen, putting in her best effort to create an attractive and delicious plate of food. But he could not think of a special reason why she did so.

He could imagine her waiting for him to come back and join her for dinner. _And imagine her disappointment. _

Kyou had the sudden urge to punch himself. He had forgotten to tell her that he was going out to meet Chika for lunch and may not be able to come back for dinner. As it was a long way back home from Chika's place, it was already 8 at night. And she was already exhausted from all the work she spent in the kitchen.

As full as he was, he heated up the plates of food and made sure he finished them before washing them up. Tohru blinked and rubbed her eyes as she awoke from a familiar scent, "Kyou-kun?" Kyou placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and kissed her on the forehead, "Hmm… I just ate, your meals are great!" She beamed happily. _Perhaps the meeting with Chika made Kyou feel obligated to offer Tohru more attention? Isn't that supposed to be… a good thing?_

Tohru yawned and tears gathered in her eyes. Kyou grinned and flicked away the tears threatening to fall. Tohru smiled and looked at Kyou as he wordlessly held her hand. "Are you tired?" He spoke softly as if there were other people here listening in on them. Tohru shook her head slightly and Kyou punched her lightly on the head. "Silly head, I think you should go sleep," Tohru shook her head again.

"I want to spend more time with you, Kyou-kun!"

_Another pang of guilt._

Kyou held her hand tightly and gave it a squeeze. While holding her hand, he dragged her to bed and the both of them went under covers. "There, this way, you can be with me however long you want and when you're tired, you can just fall right to sleep," Tohru bit her lip and nodded. She inched forward and closer to him, he wrapped his arms around her waist and the both of them stayed in each other's embrace for a very long time. "I wish we could stay like this forever…" Tohru said dreamily and drifted off into sleep, feeling ultimately secure and comfortable.

Kyou leaned in to her and took in a whiff of her. The smell of lavender and a little hint of orange, _he could never get sick of that wonderful fragrance..._ he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep too. The very last thought coming into his head before he slept and couldn't remember the very next day:

_I wish we could too_… _we'd be so happy together._


	7. Chapter 6ii

Chapter 6(ii)

Chapter 6(ii)

Chika paced about her bedroom. It was the weekends and she had been staring at her phone for the past 2 hours, she did not notice how much time has passed until she looked at her watch. The more time passes by, the angrier and spiteful she grew inside. With every second passed, her anger grew tenfold imagining Kyou spending romantic moments with Tohru.

_Tohru_…

She clenched her hands into a fist hard. Gritting her teeth, she let her mind wander further. _They're roommates. **Roommates**. Meaning they get to see each other every day, every hour, every minute, every second. _Chika felt jealousy in her and made a face. _That sucked._

Suddenly, she had a plan to get the man she wanted and the girl _he_ wanted out of his life and into hers. She smiled contently and plopped down on her bed. _But that had to wait. _

_Yes, of course… indeed_… She smiled even more as she worked on her plan, seemingly becoming more realistic.

On Monday, Chika had taken leave for the day and stopped her car at the side of Rein Street, she had purposely emptied the contents in the battery container such that the car would not start. She was wearing her office suit as if she needed to go to work. She had Kyou's house number and knowing Kyou would be at work, she called his house, taking a bet. "Hello? Honda Tohru speaking." Chika's adrenaline pumped. _Her. _Of all the things she would do, she would never talk to her enemies, yet here she was… about to talk to her.

She managed a smile through her voice, "Hello? This is Kazemura Chika speaking,"

"Oh, um, how may I –"

"Shut up and listen up," She paused. When Tohru did not answer, Chika smiled. _What an obedient girl…_She continued, "Kyou and I had been together for the past –" She paused, recalling what Kyou had said about his so-called father's death, deciding to take a gamble, she quickly put in, "2 years now and he has just proposed to me, now it's not very nice to break the news to you from him, so I figured I do the job of telling this to you so you'll stop pestering him,"

Tohru did not reply. "Hello? Are you listening?" Chika asked just to check. But there was none. However, she could hear the heavy breathings of Tohru over the phone. She smiled, knowing she's listening. "If you don't believe me, Tohru, you can come to Rein Street, he's going to meet me now, so you could start coming, maybe you could catch us in time and give up, I've let you had 2 years of happiness with him so you can't say that I was being unreasonable," She hung up without letting Tohru answer.

Tohru sat back in her couch, tracing back what the girl on the other line had said. Breathing in and out deeply, her heart racing thousand miles an hour, _Chika_ _was it?_ She thought. She closed her eyes, retracing 2 years back, _where exactly did it go wrong?_ _Was it because of Kazuma's death? That was when he suddenly became cold and distant from me… was it because he met… someone else…? But why would he still stick to me after 2 whole years? Why now? Why…_

While Tohru was thinking, Chika had the time to call Kyou by his cell phone. "Kyou!" She pinched her nose and said, as if breathless and had just cried. Kyou, sensing a change in Chika's voice, perked up, "Wh… What's wrong? What happened?"

"My car won't stop and I have to rush back to the office and none of my friends wanted to give me a ride… I am so dead…" Chika said. Kyou's heart fluttered, hesitating whether to go or not, he had no lessons for now and won't have any until in the evening. Yet if he were to go, he was afraid…… _afraid? Afraid of what?_ Kyou did not dare answer that question, as if on cue, Chika let out a sob and that, had basically summed up what he was about to do.

He was going. _He can't possibly leave a damsel in distress alone_. _Can't… possibly…_

__

__

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_[After Word]_

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_Hey there! I'm really really sorry for the lack of speedy updates like in the past but I had been really busy. So forgive me!! I had a lot of tests last and this week but now that it's over, I could **possibly**_ _update faster. But I'd still need to study for my upcoming common tests... very different from the small mini tests i've been taking, but oh well, I digress. -rolls eyes- =P _

__

_Well, at this rate, i think i'm rounding up the whole story in another couple chapters... **i think**. But most probably, if i'm talking about a couple, i'm talking huge lengthy -not to mention, **wordy**- chapters. But well, you know, I can't stand reading or much less, writing lengthy chapters... so i'll just stick to my usual breaking down parts of chapters. hee. _

__

_Well, here I end my chapter 6. Hope you like it!!!_


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

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W00t! I love you guys!! You're all so amazingly encouraging! You guys are the BEST! And would like to tell you not to give up on the story just yet! Read on and see if Kyoru survives this crisis! The story is reaching to its finale! So… Read on!!!!

Lotsa Love & Hugs,

Gin

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Kyou opened the car bonnet. Chika leaned against the car, looking around. From their chat the other time, he mentioned Tohru's hazel brown shoulder-length hair (it has grown since 5 years.) and her big bright turquoise eyes. He described her rather literally from head to toe. He really was a sentimental man…_or maybe…_Chika snapped out of her thoughts and made a mental note to look out for a brown-haired, big freaky-eyed woman in her late twenties with a rather worried face.

"Ah," Kyou started and this made Chika jumped. "Yes?"

"Your batteries gone, do you have some battery water or something?" Kyou asked. Chika nodded and headed to take the battery water out. _Any minute and she'll be here…_ Chika thought and smiled. Kyou finished pouring in the water and turned to look at Chika. He smiled, "There, your car should be working right now," Chika smiled back at him and noticed a hint of brown at the back, her heart raced, not knowing what to do… but her immediate reaction to that was to lung forward to Kyou and kiss him. She fell into his arms and he caught her, tossing down the bottle of battery water. It fell and spilt its contents all over the floor. And so did Tohru's heart when she saw the couple.

Hot tears sprang immediately to action as her heart pumped faster and faster, somehow a little too fast that it actually hurt. She turned away immediately. _The physical hurt not so much as the emotional one. _Tohru clutched her chest tightly, trying to breathe. _5 years… don't 5 years mean anything to you, Kyou?_ She thought as tears streaked her face.

_She had lost._

_Lost her dearest Kyou to someone else. Someone she hardly knew. Someone… who could be really incredible – perhaps even more so than Tohru._

She lifted up her legs and began to run away. _Oka-san…_ Tohru thought of her and sobbed. If her mother was here, she could think of the right things to say and console her. If her mother was here, she would hug Tohru so tightly that Tohru would not be able to frown. _She lost all the people she ever loved dearly. First her mother… and now…_

She ran faster and faster, her heart throbbed with pain. They say tears are cathartic, as you cry, the salt and water shed from your eyes and drag misery along the way, but as she felt hot tears streaming down her face, the crying only escalates the emotions that it expresses, and the more she cried, the more upset she got. She was scared of the way she felt as she ran, knowing that if she stopped, she might have to confront the reason why she was running. Finally, exhaustion took over her and she stopped – _I am all alone again._ She thought. She decided to head over to Uo and Saki, she could ask the Main House if they left an address or a number. She would go there for a while and hope things died down.

However, she did not see that Kyou had already pushed Chika away from her. "What the hell are you trying to do?!" He said in exasperation. Chika was surprised. _How could Kyou and Tohru have a relationship that is infallible? _Chika grew angry at the thought and gripped hard on her skirt. "_You_…" Chika fought hard to keep the words back in her, but she spat out in anger, "An attractive and smart woman is right in front of you but you still chose to be with that… that…_BITCH?_" Kyou gasped and grew angry, "You do _not_ call Tohru that," He clenched his hands into fists and gripped on tightly as he gritted his teeth.

"What did she have that I don't!? I am every bit better than her in every ways!" She screamed and looked away, "If I can't have you, no one can," She said finally. Kyou resisted the urge to slap her. Instead, he walked away from her. Insulted by the act, she spat, "You'll regret this,"

Kyou paused in his tracks. "Oh yes I will," Chika smiled at the sentence, "I regretted ever knowing you." Chika stared hard at the ground, startled by what Kyou had said. _She had lost. _Chika looked at Kyou driving away, but she smiled. Seeing the look on that woman's face, it had to be her. Chika smirked.

_Kyou ain't never gonna get Tohru back._


	9. Chapter 8i

Chapter 8(i)

Kyou returned home with a click of keys, exhausted from today's events. "Tohru?" He called. He expected the running of footsteps, the familiar lavender scent, the smell of prepared food in the kitchen, the smile on her face but there was none. His heart jumped. "Toh…ru?" He called again. The house had a kind of silence so deafening that it reminded him of his past where he spent his life caged up.

He went to the kitchen, then searched the toilets and finally their bedroom. No Tohru. _Oh shit._ He grabbed his blue jacket and rushed out of the house. Pressing the numbers on his cell phone, he dialed for Yuki, it rang a few times before someone picked up.

"Hello? Souma residence,"

"Yeah, um, is Yuki in?" Kyou asked.

"…Kyou?" The feminine voice rang. With that, he asked with a hopeful heart if Tohru was with him, but when Yuki said no, his heart raced. "Gad, where the hell can she be?!" Suddenly, something struck in his head.

_Uo_. I bet she knows. And Saki too. He sat down on a bench and bit his lip. He did not have their contact anymore. He had never been this worried before. _Perhaps that's because Tohru had never been missing in his life before._ Somehow, the thought of it made Kyou's heart ache. He decided to call the Main House, perhaps Akito know something about it, which he doubt he would know. He asked whether Tohru had made a phonecall to their residence and indeed, she had.

All of Kyou's senses perked up and he asked for her.

"I don't know, she asked for a number," The secretary on the other line said. "…number? What number? Could you give it to me?" Kyou asked, almost demanding than requesting. "The number is 1200 – 32411000045," He immediately took it down and dialed for the number.

After a couple of rings, a masculine voice picked up the phone, "Yo," He knew instantly from the voice that it was Uo. "Uo," Kyou started. There was silence over the phone. "Ah… what's the matter?" Uo asked nonchalantly. Kyou stood up and paced about, "Um… I was just… wondering if Tohru is with you guys or whether she had called you," There was a long pause.

"No, she didn't,"

"But the people at the Main House said she asked for your residence's number," Kyou said in denial. "…" There was another long and irritating pause. Finally, Uo sighed. Tohru _had_ been to their house and she had been crying non-stop over Kyou. She had finally been able to catch up on her sleep when Saki took her to their room. Saki had been in their room for almost an hour now, perhaps feeling a bit nostalgic upon seeing Tohru.

"She's been here,"

"Here?! Where?!" Kyou asked.

"What happened between you guys?! She came here crying and didn't speak a word about what happened and now you're calling us and searching all over for her, _obviously_ frantic… Seeing her this depressed reminds me of the time she lost her mother," Uo said and gave another long sigh. Kyou's words got caught somewhere in his throat and refused to come out. _That itty bitty feeling deep in his gut like someone's punching him and he was willing to take the blows because he had done something wrong. _The silence almost made Uo think that Kyou had hung up on her, "Kyou?" Uo probed.

He cleared his throat, "There has been a… misunderstanding between the both of us," He stopped in his tracks, "Would you tell me, please, where you guys live so I can pick her up and settle our problem from there…" He bit his lips, desperate for Uo to say yes, "…_please?_" He begged. Uo sat back in her sofa.

"… If I hear that you've been ill-treating Tohru, I'll beat the hell out of you, you got that?! Go home and console her, if she comes here again without a smile on her face, you'll be getting it, _personally_, from me," Uo said and gave Kyou her address. If Uo and Saki is unable to comfort Tohru, there would only be one person who could and that would be Kyou.

Kyou swallowed hard, "Thank you so much… this… this means a lot to me, thank you," He said and rushed to his car and drove off.

At that very moment, he realized how much Tohru meant to him. He realized how important she is to him and the ache of not having her by his side. He had taken her for granted, too often that he had ignored and disregarded _her_ feelings and had only cared about taking care of his feelings. At that moment, his grip on the steering wheel tightened. _Keep in control…_ Kyou's heart throbbed fast, guilt and utter regret filled his heart and it began to swell from his insides. It made him sick.

He wasn't going to lose Tohru. He can't. Not when he realized that the only woman he would spend his entire life – and perhaps the following lifetimes he would have - is Tohru.

He accelerated, urgent to get to her fast and upon reaching Uo's house, he summed up what he wanted to say to her. Forcing a smile, he knocked on the door and Uo answered.

"She's right inside taking a nap, it had been too exhausting for her because she had been crying the whole afternoon," Uo said. Kyou heaved a sigh of relief, "Then… I'll just… carry her home," Kyou said. Uo nodded. Even though she was a woman, she was an inch taller than Kyou and she was very slim.

He opened the door to face a familiar figure, she turned to look at Kyou with her icy purple eyes, "Kyou," She called. Kyou stood at the door, and when Saki turned her head to indicate the sleeping Tohru, Kyou made his move to scoop her off.

He paused in his tracks when Saki started speaking, "Tohru has had a hard time getting over the death of her loved one, even though she may look like she's happy all the time… inside her, it aches till it could ache no more. Do you… understand what I am trying to say?" Saki spoke eerily, "I seldom see her cry this much, but whatever happened between the two of you… it had hurt her a lot."

When he began walking, she ended, "She loves you, Kyou," It was hard enough to keep the tears from falling as he walked out the door. Gently, he placed her at the front passenger seat. He proceeded to sit in the driver's seat. Starting up the car, he paused and looked over at Tohru. Without a word, he hugged Tohru as tears of guilt flowed down his face. _She had seen him and Chika together… _He did not know what she saw or heard but whatever she had, had hurt her really badly and it's all because of him.

He hugged her tighter while she slept soundly.

_Oh Tohru…_

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Author's Note:

I'm SO sorry for the lack of quick updates! I've been so busy preparing my tests... so today, I wrote a rather long chapter ...I received a lot of nice comments from all of you and I just like to say that I appreciate every one of them! THANK YOU!!

hugs hugs

At this rate, the whole story might end pretty fast! ;

I may start the next story: Inside Her Mind

In this story, you'll be dragged into the minds of Saki Hanajima. I just adore her. She's so troubled... somehow. =] Well, thanks for all ya wonderful support!


	10. Chapter 8ii

Chapter 8(ii)

Gently, Kyou placed Tohru down on the bed and covered her with a blanket. Watching her, he was surprised by how peaceful he felt. He stroked her face a few times gently and softly, cautious not to wake her up. He knew now what he needed to do.

When Chika kissed him then, he was astonished to find out how that felt horrible. He had expected the usual high of kissing someone, but there was none he found in Chika's kiss. When she did it, flashes of Tohru in his mind played like an old movie in his head, that was what made him push her away from him. He needed to get away from Chika, because he knew now that Tohru belonged to him as much as he belonged to her.

Smiling, he left the house once again.

Tohru woke up and realized she was back at home again. She looked around, yet there was no Kyou. Her heart sank. _Had she become this unimportant to him? _She sighed. There was really nothing she could do. He had made up his mind. Perhaps he's with Chika right now, doing something that she do not want to know of.

She fought back the tears that was threatening to fall. _Pull yourself up, dammit, since when did you start becoming such a crybaby!? _Tohru forced a smile up and went to the toilet, practicing her smile once again, as she always did. She went to the kitchen, took a few deep breaths to cheer her heavy heart up and started to prepare the food.

An hour later, she heard the turning of keys from outside. She put up the smile that she had practiced, and ran to the door, "Kyou!" Kyou looked at her softly and smiled, _stop forcing yourself to be happy…_ He wanted to say to her, but don't. After years being with her, he could tell when she's happy and when she's just faking a smile.

"I'm preparing some supper," She turned around, but stopped when Kyou started, "Tohru… I…" Her heart seemed to jump, afraid to hear the words that came out from his mouth.

"Ah, I'll go check if the water is boiling, maybe then we could have some tea too," She said, clearing her throat. Kyou looked at her, from behind, he pulled her in and wrapped his arms around her waist. He rest his head on her shoulder. She looked away, trying to hide the tears that was brimming on her eyes. She wanted, so much then, to push him away and tell him that she was not his anymore. She wanted to give him the tightest slap anyone could give someone and tell him off… and question why he did what he did just now. But she couldn't.

"Cry if you're feeling down," Kyou spoke finally. As if obeying him, the tears immediately fell and she began to sob. Her knees felt weak and it gave way, she fell to the floor. "I cannot do this, Kyou," Tohru said while Kyou kneeled beside her. "I cannot do this…" She said and hugged him. They stayed in that position for very long before they pulled away from each other.

Finally, with such determination and courage, even Tohru was surprised by how easy the words came out from her mouth. Kyou stared at her openmouthed, unable to reply. He began shaking his head, as if in denial.

_He wanted to tell her he love her and only her.. She wanted to tell him how disappointed she was in him and it was impossible for her to love him anymore. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was. She wanted to tell him she couldn't carry on this façade anymore. He wanted to tell her he had bought 2 rings with their names carved on the rings and they were meant for each other forever. She wanted to tell him that it was impossible to trust him anymore and that it hurt so, **so** much inside, that being with him would hurt her even more and she was a fragile thing. He wanted to kiss her then, to show her how they fit together like hand to glove. _

"Let's break up, Kyou."

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Today is a half day at school so I decided to write a little for you guys to read. =] A lot of things had been happening lately... a lot of depressing things rather, but well, writing numb my feelings a lot, and especially all the warm response i've been getting... thank you so much.

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	11. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Let's break up, Kyou," She repeated again, but Kyou just kept shaking his head. She stood up, finally and walked to the bedroom to pack up. When she was finished, she came out and see Kyou staring at the floor, unable to speak. "There's some food in the kitchen," she said, her heart aching to see Kyou this way.

When she opened the door, she could hear Kyou speaking softly, "Can you… not go?" Tohru remained there for a few seconds, before she left and closed the door. Kyou looked away from the door feeling like he could no longer breathe.

Chika watched from afar, seeing Tohru crying as hell as she walked out from the apartment and hailed a taxi, carrying a luggage. Somehow, her heart seemed to feel like it just got pierced and filled with guilt. Thinking about the earlier event, after the kiss, she dialed for her best friend's number. He was effeminate but he could relate to her feelings most of the time. His name was Jin.

_"What do you mean he pushed you?!" He asked over the phone._

_"He pushed me… **ME! **When I am, obviously SO much better than her in so many ways! I can't believe he did that! No guy has ever did that to me!" _

_"Perhaps that's why it hurt a lot, doesn't it?" Jin asked. Chika remained silent, her words got caught in her throat. She heard him let out a sigh. "Chika, do you **love** him? Or is it just infatuation?" He asked. _

_"Of course I love him, you dummy, I love him so much that I could do anything," _

_"If you really love him, you would wish for his happiness… he's not happy with you, move on,"_

_"…"_

_"And you were the one who caused this whole thing, I think it's high time you fixed this up too," _

_"Even… you think I'm in the wrong!?"_

_"I'm not saying that you're wrong… you did it out of love, I understand that. But don't you feel guilty at all? That you caused all this shit between one incredibly, and could possibly have been that way forever, good couple?" _

_"…" He was right. _

That had been in the late afternoon when they talked. "Tohru!" Chika called. "Tohru!" She called again. Tohru looked up. She frowned. Even if it was only a glimpse, she could recognize the red hair anywhere.

"Chika…-san?" She began when Chika suddenly bowed in front of her, "Gomenasai," She said.

"What… what are you doing here?" Tohru asked out of jealousy. Chika did not speak a word for a second, "Shall… we… walk while we talk?" Chika asked. Tohru bit her lip and nodded, unsure of what to expect.

"I understand that you guys are going to get married, I… I had already broken up with Kyou," Tohru started. Chika's heart filled up with glee and guilt, however, she had to do what she had to do.

"Tohru, you misunderstand, there was nothing going on between the both of us in the very first place,"

"But I saw you guys kissing there," Tohru said, "It's useless to tell me this to comfort me, Chika-san,"

"No," Chika stopped in her tracks. "That day, I threw myself at him because I knew you were there, I knew that if you guys were to stop dating, I would have Kyou all to myself… I… I had been so foolish to think of that, but you see, when… When I kissed him, he pushed me away. I didn't understand why he did until later when I thought about it… he loves _you_, Tohru, not me, I was… surprised too… _how could a man love a woman so much?_" She paused and looked up, her tears brimming on her eyes, "You guys are so…" She couldn't find a right word to say, "so _awesome_," She looked away. "I hope you can forgive me for all the bad things I have done…"

Tohru smiled, relieved by the fact that Kyou did not cheat on her, but also sorry for the woman in front of her, she placed a hand on her shoulder, "It must have took a lot of courage to say that, Chika-san…" She said and hugged her, "Thank you for sharing that with me… I don't blame you… you must have love him a lot to do that,"

"Yes I do… I do love him, but he loves you… I just… want him to be happy and I can tell he's really upset over you leaving him," Chika said and took in a deep breath, "Go back to him before it's too late, he… he's an amazing man, I just hope you give him another chance," Chika said. They regarded each other and finally, Chika took off, but Tohru was sure that when Chika walked away, she could see the glistening tears streaming down her face.

With that, Tohru headed back for home, unaware of what is happening at home.

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That's it for today! Hope you enjoy!


	12. Chapter 10 Finale

Chapter 10

Kyou stood up and he felt his world whirl around. It was moving too fast and could not stop for him. His world stopped at the image of Tohru leaving him, which played over and over again in his head, realizing now how much he really love Tohru.

Finally, it was too much for him to take it as he collapsed to the floor and darkness engulfed his vision.

Tohru returned home, the door was unlocked. "…Kyou?" Tohru called and found his body on the floor. She gasped as her heart pounded faster and faster, _no…_she quickly dropped to the floor next to Kyou and felt his heart. It was still beating and he was still breathing. With a sigh of relief, she touched his forehead. It was burning hot.

Quickly, she took out an ice bag from the refridgerator and placed it on his forehead. She ran to take a blanket out for Kyou too and because she had no strength to carry him, she placed the blanket on top of Kyou and covered him. With that, she sat beside him and watched as he inhaled and exhaled slowly and peacefully. Clasping her hands together, she prayed that he would be all right.

"Tohru…" He called in his sleep. She looked at him and saw that he was in so much pain. "Tohru…" He called again. She held his hand and smiled, "I'm here," She said and frowned as she felt something hard in his hand. She opened them and gasped.

There, were 2 diamond rings and each of them had "T&K 4ever" neatly carved out. Tears of joy came out from her eyes as she looked over at Kyou. He had bought this for her when he left the house… to think she had been misunderstanding him the whole while! She placed her head on his chest and cried.

_Kyou turned around and was surprised to see Kazuma, his shishou. Previously, he had dreamt of Tohru coming back to him, telling him that she's back and she would never leave him again. But the whole scenario changed, and he saw Kazuma. "… oto-san," he finally spoke and smiled. Kazuma smiled back softly at him, as he wept happily for it was the first time Kyou had called him his father. _

_"Kyou…" He spoke and went over to hug him. "I thought I'd never see you again," Kyou said. _

_"Silly boy, why would I leave you? I had been watching you from above all this while…" Kazuma paused, then continue, "Every time you miss me, just look up to the stars above, the brightest one would always be me, teaching you and guiding you all the way through," Kazuma said. There was a long pause before Kazuma spoke again, " Tohru is a good girl… don't take her for granted, son," He said. Kyou nodded his head, "I know a lot of things happened between us that caused some misunderstanding, I just… she's gone now and there's nothing I could do to bring her back…" Kyou said. Kazuma shook his head, "Open your eyes Kyou… perhaps you'll get a clearer picture," _

_Kazuma began fading away. Afraid that Kyou would lose him forever, he ran and chased as Kazuma seemed to be so far away. "Oto-san…" He called with a tear-streaked face. "OTO-SAN!" He called again, but he could only see Kazuma smiling softly as he slowly fades away. _

Just then, he opened his eyes and found a crying Tohru resting on his chest. He looked at her. She was mentally exhausted from all these events, he could tell. But there was something different about Tohru crying this time. She was back, Kyou knew, for sure. "Tohru?" He spoke. She raised her head up and smiled, "Kyou!" She hugged him.

He noticed that she was wearing his ring and smiled softly. "Aishiteru," He said, just like how he said it 5 years back when the curse was broken. Tohru nodded her head, still crying. He stroked her face gently and pulled her in to kiss her forehead. She lied against his chest. _The familiar lavender scent… the familiar smile… the woman he's known since high school… the first woman he loves since high school and will ever love… the wonderful food she'll always prepare… the same embraces and kisses and cuddles… _

Kyou smiled and as if unsure whether she had heard it, he said it again, just like how he repeated it 5 years ago, "_Aishiteru_," But this time, the picture was much clearer and it was different from what happened 5 years ago, she kissed him gently and when they pulled away, she said it back to him. They regarded each other and smiled.

_They were home._

* * *

THE END!!! Thanks! Now I can start working on the other fic that I intend to write... however, it may be a one-shot fic. So there! Thanks!


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